Donald Trump's Address Rhetorical Analysis

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On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the forty-fifth president of the United States. His first action as our president was presenting his inaugural speech in front of the Capitol building. His speech was broadcasted not only to the American people, but the rest of the world as well. This speech is arguably one of the most important pieces of rhetoric that has been released in recent times as it carries tremendous weight in the political world. Although the speech itself has many elements that lend to it being effective and moving, when presented by President Trump, the speech lost its effectiveness and power over the audience. President Trump faced many constraints in giving his speech, but was unable to overcome them thus rendering his speech ineffective. …show more content…

Contained in this speech are rhetorical elements, such as ethos and pathos, that made it powerful and emotionally moving in its own way, however, only when read. What makes this speech rhetorically ineffective is how it was presented by Donald Trump. Through a combination of his odd choice of tone and poor manner of speech, the full effect of the speech went unrealized by those that listened to it. Compared to reading the speech, listening to it being given by the President leaves the audience underwhelmed and disappointed. What could have been a powerful and moving speech was ruined by the President’s inability to overcome the constraints he was faced with, leaving his speech hollow in meaning and ineffective in reaching its audience. Ultimately, President Trump failed not only his speech and the potential it had, but America. As this being his first act as the President of the United States, he disappointed his audience as his melancholy words rang out across the nation upon eager ears, only to fill them with an abysmal display of his skills as a public

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